


Bill 1429

by whenyouheldtheknife



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Vampire, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Getting Together, M/M, Magic, Magic-Users, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Oops, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, eventually, phil is a pixie, seriously i'll add more tags later as things develop
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-19
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-03-18 13:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3572102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whenyouheldtheknife/pseuds/whenyouheldtheknife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>in a world where magical creatures live in the same realm as humans... actually, everything's almost the same. except for the fact that magical creatures aren't often afforded the same rights as humans. dan howell, socially awkward youtuber vampire, wants to change that with the help of his friends (oops cliche). however, the question is that he might not be able to: not when he's classed as a dangerous creature and is treated as a threat before so much as opening his mouth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 1) OOPS.  
> 2) honestly please don't murder me i just wanted vampire!dan howell and this is what happened.  
> 3) it's why i can't have nice things.  
> 4) THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER TO MY BEAUTIFUL BETAS, [ROXIE](http://poptartlouis.tumblr.com) AND [JENNI!!!](http://dont-tell-them-i-write-phan.tumblr.com)

Dan woke up with his breath caught in his chest and his bedroom lights on, glaring into his face. “Phil,” he grumbled, wrinkling his face and putting his hands over his eyes. “Turn it off.” 

There was soft laughter coming from directly next to Dan’s ear and he yelped, jumping and whipping his head around, eyes still shut. No one was there; he couldn’t hear a heartbeat or smell anything. The light clicked off and Dan opened his eyes, his pupils widening dramatically as they adjusted and he glared at the door. “You’re an asshole,” he announced to his best friend and flatmate. 

Phil, his arms crossed over his chest, laughed. “But Dan, you’re so fun to mess with when you’re waking up! All squinty and grumbly… it’s like catnip for pixies, like pixie-nip or something!” 

Dan rolled his eyes before reaching over to the nightstand and picking up the bottle of coconut water he’d left there. He took a long drink from it, feeling the liquid run through his system and wake him from the near-comatose state he entered every time the sun rose. “Go away before I pretend you’re catnip for vampires,” he retorted. 

“Fine, I’ll leave you alone,” Phil answered with a sigh, but Dan could still hear the grin in his voice. “But dress nicely tonight, yeah? Everyone’s coming over soon.” He left Dan’s room, closing the door behind him. 

“You should dress nicely, not me,” Dan muttered, getting out of bed. 

“I heard that!” Phil shouted from the sitting room and Dan groaned. He forgot that Phil had weird supersensory hearing. 

He stood in front of his open wardrobe now, setting his half-drunk coconut water on top of it as he scanned over his options. He hadn’t forgotten about the get-together that he and Phil were hosting tonight: not only was it rare for them to have more than just the two of them in their flat at a time, but tonight was different. 

Pulling a soft, black cotton shirt off of its hanger, Dan pulled it on and left it for all of ten seconds before pulling it off again and letting it drop to the floor. The worst part about being a vampire, he thought, was having what was undoubtedly a great fashion sense, but being unable to see yourself in anything you wanted to wear. He eventually settled on a black-and-white paisley shirt and black jeans with - you guessed it - black socks. “Phil?” he called. 

Within moments, Phil was opening Dan’s bedroom door and poking his head in. “Yeah?” 

“Do my hair for me?” Dan asked, turning to face him with a sheepish smile. 

“All right, the straightener is in my room, come on,” he said, turning and letting Dan follow him across the hall and down a bit to his own room. Dan squinted in the brightness of the hall, knowing he’d have to get used to it before everyone arrived. He sat down on the edge of Phil’s bed, waiting as he pulled out the straightener and brush before kneeling down to be on eye-level with Dan. “I dunno why you have to straighten it out, it looks fine curly,” Phil said. He turned the straightener on and went to work, brushing out Dan’s fringe before taking the flat-iron to it. 

“Because I’m sure it looks ridiculous, Phil, I remember that much from before I was turned.” Dan didn’t often talk about being turned, though he would bring it up as a joke occasionally, as his situation was a bit unique. Most vampires were created on purpose by someone they would refer to as their Maker, and the newly-born vampires would spend quite a few years with their Maker before moving on. Dan’s creator bit him and ran. He had been ambushed by a vampire on a late night when he didn’t need to be out anyway, and he was supposed to be a snack. Unfortunately, the vampire did it wrong and ended up turning Dan. He never got to meet the person who’d created him; once the other vampire had realized what they had done, they’d fled the scene. It had only happened two years ago, while he was living with Phil, but Dan would like to think that he was dealing with his vampire status just fine, for not having a proper Maker and all. 

“All done!” Phil announced, smiling at Dan with his small, sharp teeth showing. He brushed Dan’s fringe to the side to make sure it was parted the way he liked it, then nodded, getting up and putting everything away. 

Dan reached up and touched his hair, smiling without his teeth showing; he could feel his fangs poking out from his gums like they always did when he got too close to Phil or to humans. “Thanks, it feels like you did a good job with it.” 

The doorbell rang and both men stilled for a second: Phil was listening for any sign of who it could be and Dan was turning his head, inhaling deeply. “It’s Louise!” Dan exclaimed, the first to know from how she smelled, and he grinned triumphantly. “I’ll get it!” He leapt to his feet and made it to the door in a few seconds, eager to see one of his good friends. 

“Dan Howell!” Louise exclaimed as he opened the door, and Dan was too excited to notice that Louise had her vlogging camera out; he swept her up in a hug as soon as she’d crossed the threshold, letting his nerves for the night seep out of him while Louise hugged him back, laughing. “Goodness, you’re affectionate today,” she commented, stepping back and smiling as she aimed her camera at the floor so that it wouldn’t pick up the fact that, well, there was nothing for it to pick up where Dan stood. 

“I’m really nervous,” he admitted, his hands wringing themselves out in front of him. “This is such a big thing, Louise, I really hope it works out.” 

Louise smiled at Dan, patting his shoulder comfortingly, and Dan felt a tiny brush of her magic run through him. “I think it’ll all be fine, Dan, don’t worry so much.” 

Before Dan could muster up a reply, Phil appeared from around the corner. “Hi Louise!” he greeted her, rushing forward to give her a hug. Dan took a step back and noticed with a smile that Phil’s ears were wiggling like they might fall off. He hid a wider grin behind his hand; he knew that underneath her hair, Louise’s were probably doing the same. Pixies and fey folk didn’t normally get along, but Phil and Louise -- and PJ as well, Dan remembered -- got on splendidly. And whenever similarly-blooded magical creatures got in physical contact with each other, it would result in some sort of gesture particular to their own kind. 

“Right, let’s get everything set up!” Dan announced. He needed to do something or he was going to wring his own hands straight out of existence. He led the way back upstairs, followed by Phil and Louise, who were giggling and talking quietly behind him. 

\- - -

Two hours later, Dan and Phil’s sitting room had a record-breaking amount of six total people in it, as well as a plethora of appropriate snacks that were nearly depleted, as everyone had arrived only half an hour after Louise. There was sushi and seaweed crisps for Zoe; milk and sweets for PJ and Louise; fresh fruits for Phil; pizza for Alfie; and extra coconut water for Dan. Fairy lights were strung up around the room and a few of the softer lights that they owned were on, so it was brighter than Dan would have liked but not so bright that he couldn’t stand it. The television was playing softly in the background, currently showing adverts while the group waited for the final verdict of the night. 

Dan meandered away from the wall he had been leaning against and went up to talk to Zoe and Alfie, having only spoken to them once earlier in the night when they had arrived. “How are you two doing?” he asked, keeping his voice low and a polite smile on. 

Zoe beamed at him and Dan had to blink hard to clear the sudden fog in his brain. “I’m doing well, thanks, Dan! I’m really hopeful about this, for once, I don’t feel so anxious, you know?” she said. Her blue eyes looked lovely underneath the lights and Dan blinked again, remembering that Zoe was new to a lot of the effects she had on others. 

“Yeah mate, I think this is gonna be a good one!” Alfie replied, clapping a hand on Dan’s shoulder. That brought Dan back a bit, though he had to take a quick sip from his drink. It was harder to be around humans than it was to be around nonhumans; humans tended to look and smell better to Dan, whereas his other friends weren’t nearly as appealing. “What do you think’ll happen?” 

Dan shrugged, not wanting to get his hopes up despite the way he was feeling. “I mean, anything could happen. Both sides had great arguments, you can’t really deny that. MacVicar’s a huge asshole, but what else is new?” he commented. 

Zoe pulled a face at the mention of the name MacVicar and added, “He really should just retire. I can’t believe he was voted back into office after his dreadful speeches last term.” 

“Right? Jesus Christ, I want to find the people who keep voting for him and let them know that they’re voting for a person who is literally a piece of trash.” 

Alfie and Zoe laughed and Dan cracked a smile, nodding as he left, as Zoe had turned to Louise now. Dan made his way back to his spot on the wall, noticing that PJ was there as well, munching on some of the sweet bread that had still been on the table. “How’s it going?” he asked, smiling over as Dan stood next to him. 

“Better than I thought,” Dan confessed, looking down at his feet. There were plant vines on the floor and Dan resisted the urge to snort out a laugh; those were Phil’s experiments and they’d somehow come from his bedroom and into the sitting room. He would be proud of that. “I dunno how good a chance we have of winning.” 

PJ turned to look at Dan, his green eyes flashing bright for a second before they returned to normal. “You’re just trying to not get your hopes up,” he stated matter-of-factly, and Dan grimaced. 

“Don’t do that weird mind-reading thing on me!” 

“It can really come in handy, you know,” PJ replied, grinning mischievously. His teeth were larger than Phil’s but sharper, more dangerous-looking. Fey rarely used their teeth unless it was an emergency situation, and Dan knew firsthand how painful a bite could be; he would never want to be on the business end of those. He wondered how Sophie dealt with that. 

Dan huffed out a sigh, pretending to be irritated even though he really wasn’t. “Yeah, for fucking round with your friends, I know.” 

“I wouldn’t say that, I would -- “ 

“Guys, guys, it’s coming back on!” Phil said excitedly, interrupting any and all conversations that had been happening in the room. Everyone’s heads turned to face the television screen, on which a woman with greying hair black as a cast-iron pot was reading from a single sheet of paper. Dan felt his heart sink; he knew that single sheets were never a good sign. 

“We have reached a decision on bill fourteen-twenty-nine,” she announced, her mouth set in a firm line. “The bill fails on a count of thirty to fifteen to five, with thirty against, fifteen for, and five abstaining.” The television suddenly shut off but Dan didn’t look up, his eyes glued to the now-black screen. 

The silence of the room was deafening with the way it fell on Dan’s ears; he looked away from the screen after a moment to glance at each of his friends in turn. Zoe’s face was buried in Alfie’s chest, her shoulders shaking. Alfie was holding her close, his eyes red-rimmed but face set like stone. Louise had her arms wrapped around her stomach, trying to hold herself together, but Dan could see a few tears rolling down her face. Next to him, PJ had gone entirely still without taking in a single breath. And standing in the center of the room was Phil, his arms hanging loosely at his sides, his expression uncharacteristically hard. Seeing his friends this way was probably what prompted Dan to speak. “This is fucking bullshit.” 

Everyone’s eyes fell on Dan; Zoe even lifted her head from Alfie’s chest and turned to look at him, her makeup smudged around her eyes and tear tracks visible on her cheeks. There was a hard anger burning in Dan’s chest where his heart no longer beat, bubbling up in his throat as his empty hand clenched into a fist. “They can’t just _do_ that! They can’t - they can’t _decide our fate_ as if we’re somehow less than them! That bill was supposed to make it _safer_ for us, it was supposed to _protect_ us - and you know what? That decision was made a by a room full of uneducated, ignorant _humans._ How is that fucking _fair?”_

“There’s nothing we can do right now, Dan,” Louise said softly. It was only when he heard Louise’s voice in contrast to his own that Dan realized he had been shouting. She walked across the room and stood to the other side of Dan, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. Her magic was leaking like a liquid through her palm and into his shirt, under his skin - it felt itchy, and he shrugged her hand off, shaking his head minutely. “We need to call it a night, it’s getting late and - and none of us should go outside until morning, most likely.” 

Dan’s eyes swung to Phil, who had pasted a falsely-bright smile on his face. “It’s settled, then. Zoe and Alfie, you can take Dan’s room, PJ can sleep in my bed with me, and Louise, I’ll take you to the office.” Louise left Dan’s side, casting him one last look before following Phil, who had already left and was thumping noisily down the stairs. 

Zoe sniffed softly and Dan looked over at her, feeling a twist in his gut. God, he’d forgotten how much Zoe hated it when people yelled. “I’m sorry,” he said, the words feeling out of place on his tongue, in the heaviness of the room. 

She shook her head, giving Dan a watery smile. “It’s okay,” she replied. She looked up at Alfie and tugged on his hand. Alfie gave a wave to Dan and PJ before he let Zoe lead him down the hall; Dan heard the door to his bedroom close a few moments later. 

“I know how you’re feeling,” PJ said from beside Dan. Turning his head to look, Dan frowned and was about to open his mouth when PJ shook his head. “No, I - I know. I really do. Empath, remember?” He smiled tightly and Dan returned it, clapping his friend once on the back before PJ left for Phil’s room. 

With a heavy sigh, Dan plopped down on the couch and pulled out his phone. He didn’t turn it on or unlock it, he just turned the device over and over in his hands, needing something to fiddle with. 

“Dan?” Phil asked, and Dan didn’t even need to look up to know it was him, but he did anyway. He looked exhausted, his face paler than usual and the bags under his eyes colored purple like bruises. “Could you take care of this stuff? I’m really tired. I need to sleep this off.” 

“Course, Phil.” He got up, pausing as Phil just looked at him. “I’m sorry I freaked out, I just - I got so angry, you know? It’s just, it’s not… it’s not right.” 

Phil nodded, scrubbing a hand over his face and exhaling slowly as he levelled his gaze with Dan’s. “I know. We’ll talk about it in the morning, okay?” he asked. “Goodnight, be productive.” He smiled slightly and then shuffled down the hall to his room, closing the door and leaving Dan awake with his thoughts. 

Dan tidied up the plates and platters on the table, making two trips to clean everything up properly. He packed away the leftovers, marking the containers appropriately for each of their friends, so they’d have something to take home. The dirty dishes got rinsed and stuck in the dishwasher, which Dan ran as soon as it was full. He leaned against the counter and pulled his phone out again, unlocking it to scroll through Twitter. There was virtually nothing on the topic, save for a vague tweet or two with the hashtag “#PassTheBill” from a few of the UK-based celebrities that Dan followed. The fact that no one was talking about it inspired Dan to tap out a quick, angry tweet: “the rights of any species shouldn’t be up for debate. #PassTheBill”. He didn’t pause before sending it, knowing that he would probably get some negative reactions for it, but he didn’t care about that. Anyone who had been following Dan on twitter or even YouTube knew that Dan was classed as a magical creature; he hadn’t disclosed that he was a vampire, simply because they were considered to be dangerous, but his fans seemed to have fun trying to guess. 

The dishwasher behind Dan made a gurgling noise, bringing him back to the present, and Dan left the kitchen, flicking the light off as he went. He sat down on the sofa, a blanket thrown over him, and turned the television on but muted it as he flipped through the channels. Every news station was reporting about the bill and the majority of them were in favor of it being failed. Dan scowled, shutting the stupid television off and shutting his eyes. His anger was no longer fresh, but it was almost sunrise and Dan didn’t want to pass out while he was still angry and had no solution. 

It was only when the first rays of sunlight were starting to peek through the drawn curtains that Dan had just enough of an idea to put a smile on his face. Things were going to change if it worked, and Dan would be at the center of it. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dan has what is supposed to be a normal day at home while phil does the shopping. unfortunately, that doesn't happen. (feat. dan and louise texting.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) hello again i am so happy to present you guys with this!!  
> 2) beta'd by darlings [roxie](http://poptartlouis.tumblr.com) and [jenni!](http://dont-tell-them-i-write-phan.tumblr.com) congrats to them both for putting up with me uvu

Dan didn’t wake up until the sun had set, and luckily for him it was still going down early, around six each night. He stretched out on the couch, the blanket falling to the floor. “Ugh.” Dan frowned, opening his eyes just a crack before opening them fully and sitting up, confused. The flat was empty. 

He reached forward and took a coconut water from where he had left it on the table, draining what was left in one drink. Dan used the back of his hand to wipe at his mouth and stood, swaying a bit on the spot. He was dizzy and disoriented from not sleeping in his own bed, hungry, and still wearing last night’s clothes. 

Dan padded down the hall to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him and stripping out of his clothes. He turned the water to a halfway temperature and stepped in, hissing under his breath as the spray hit his body: it felt hot to him, but Dan knew he would get used to it. He shut his eyes and grabbed the shampoo, rubbing it into his hair and rinsing it out, the suds dripping into his eyes and mouth. While Dan washed off his body (he had a nice loofah and some fruity body wash that Phil kept buying; it was basically heaven-scented), he thought over the half-formed plan he’d come up with just before falling asleep. 

It wasn’t necessarily complicated or difficult; Dan had a vague idea of what he would have to do in order to pull it off. He wanted to change the way things were, but he hadn’t finished university and didn’t have all the knowledge available to him to do what he wanted. And asking anyone else for help probably wouldn’t go well; Dan figured that the wounds from the bill failing last night were still fresh. 

He rinsed off shortly after and stepped out of the shower, wiping the condensation off of the mirror to check his hair before remembering that he wouldn’t show in the reflection anyway. 

Dan left the bathroom and got dressed before heading to the kitchen. He was still hungry. Dan kept dissolvable plasma tablets in the medicine cupboard just for occasions like these. The small bottle was right in front and Dan shook out two tablets from it, plopping them into a fresh coconut water that had been left on the counter. It had gone warm and there was a note next to it, the handwriting in Phil’s familiar neat style. 

_Dan -- left around 3 to run some errands and stop at Tesco’s. Text if you need anything, Phil x_

There was a poorly-drawn cat head next to Phil’s name and Dan smiled to himself before glancing up at the oven clock. It was only half past six right now and Phil was notorious for taking hours to run basic errands, especially if he did it by himself. He was probably buying another houseplant by now and Dan laughed to himself, then sent a quick text to Phil: _just lmk when you’re coming back._ He pocketed his phone, grabbed the coconut water, and went to his bedroom. Now would be a good time to film a video, Dan mused as he sat down on his neatly-made bed. (That was definitely Zoe’s doing; Dan didn’t make his bed unless he was filming.) 

He could make a chatty video about the bill being failed last night, or he could use one of the ideas that’d been lingering in a document on his computer for months by now. Pulling his laptop over from where he’d left it on the nightstand, Dan opened up the file of video ideas and glanced through them, but nothing was really catching his eye. Just as well, he thought, putting on makeup to film would undoubtedly be a nuisance. 

Opening a new file and titling it ‘the fucking bill’, Dan proceeded to stare at the blank word document for a solid thirty seconds before a proper idea hit him and he began typing. 

\- - -

Three hours later (about half of which was spent scrolling through twitter and tumblr when Dan’s brain felt burnt out), Dan had a working script. It wasn’t the best thing he’d written, but it gave him room to improvise while still providing him with a specific enough idea to follow so that he wouldn’t end up waffling through the whole video. 

It was nearing ten now and Dan still hadn’t heard from Phil. That had been in the back of his mind when he took breaks from writing, but Dan had just assumed that Phil would get back to him sooner rather than later. Pulling out his phone, Dan sent another text out to Phil: _hey are you coming back tonight?_ It wasn’t totally unusual for Phil to not come back for the night, but this didn’t feel right to Dan. Phil wouldn’t say he was running errands and then go out with someone. Dan hesitated only another few seconds before texting Louise. 

**[To: Louise]**  
hey, have you heard from phil today? 

**[To: Dan]**  
Not since this morning when I left. Why? 

**[To: Louise]**  
he went out to run errands today round 3 but hasn’t texted me or come home yet 

**[To: Dan]**  
I’m sure he’s fine, silly. He might have gotten lost or distracted; you know how Phil gets when he goes shopping. :) 

**[To: Louise]**  
you’re probably right but this doesn’t feel like that to me idk. i’m still kinda worried 

**[To: Dan]**  
Maybe give him a ring, then, if you’re that anxious? 

**[To: Louise]**  
okay i’ll give it a shot 

Dan dialed Phil, holding his breath without meaning to as the phone rang and rang and rang, eventually hitting his voicemail: “Hello, you’ve reached Phil Lester. Please leave your message after the beep and I’ll get back to you shortly!” The machine beeped and Dan cleared his throat. “Hey, Phil, sorry to call, just wanted to make sure you didn’t get lost or like buy an entire tree. I’ll see you later.” Dan hung up, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. 

**[To: Louise]**  
he didn’t pick up it rang for ages and he didn’t pick up louise 

**[To: Dan]**  
Dan, it’s going to be fine. Give it another half an hour or so before trying again. He could have met up with someone or just have not felt his phone go off. 

**[To: Louise]**  
i guess 

**[To: Dan]**  
Just hang tight, Dan, everything’s going to be fine. :) 

\- - -

Phil didn’t make it back until midnight. Dan had called him nearly eight times (not that he was keeping track) and had been texting Louise nonstop. She had tried to call Phil too, mostly to put Dan at ease, but he didn’t pick up for her either and now Dan was pacing around the main floor of the flat. His chest was tight with anxiety and he couldn’t bring himself to sit still. All of Dan’s senses were heightened, even more so than usual, meaning he had to deal with an extreme amount of sensory input: vampires generally had better senses than humans or even other magical creatures, and now every little thing was too much for Dan to deal with. 

When he heard their front door open from down the stairs, Dan’s world narrowed down to that sound. It was Phil, he could hear his friend’s heart beating and even smell the scent that was so uniquely Phil that Dan never noticed it anyway. Dan was downstairs before registering that he had moved at all and stopped Phil at the base of their staircase. “Christ, Phil, I was losing it, why didn’t you pick up, you asshole?” Dan asked, crossing his arms over his chest and biting at his lip. 

“Sorry,” Phil muttered, dropping the bags he’d been holding in both hands. 

Dan sighed. “It’s fine, I’m glad you’re home, I just - “ Dan abruptly cut himself off, his nostrils flaring as he took in the new scent he hadn’t noticed before. “Phil, why do you smell of blood?” he asked, taking a careful step away from his friend and flipping the switch, grateful that they had replaced the light bulb. 

Phil looked exhausted, more so than last night, and he was bleeding. Dan put a hand in front of his mouth as if in shock even though he was just trying to cover the fact that his fangs had dropped down fully at the smell. Phil’s elbows and palms were scratched up, the knees of his jeans were stained with a dark wetness, and his hair was sticking up every which way. “Fell and got lost,” Phil mumbled, refusing to meet Dan’s eyes. 

“Like shit you fell!” Dan exclaimed, his brow furrowing. “Who did this?” 

Phil shook his head, his mouth set in a thin line as he swayed where he stood. Dan swore under his breath before taking a step forward and wrapping his arms around Phil’s waist, ignoring the grocery bags for now. “C’mon, we’ll go upstairs and put you in bed, all right?” Phil dropped his head onto Dan’s shoulder, which Dan took as an affirmative, and half-helped, half-carried Phil up the stairs and to his bedroom, getting him into bed. “I’ll get you water and an apple and some paracetamol, just stay awake a bit longer, okay?” Dan leaned over Phil, whose eyes were closed, and tapped at his cheek. Phil didn’t move but his breathing was deep and even and Dan sighed, straightening up as he left the room. Phil was already sleeping. 

**[To: Louise]**  
phils back but he’s hurt like he was bleeding 

**[To: Dan]**  
Oh my God, what happened? Is he okay? Are you okay?? 

**[To: Louise]**  
idk what happened he passed out after i got him in his bed. 

and yes i’m fine 

**[To: Dan]**  
Please keep me updated, Dan. I hope he’ll be okay. 

**[To: Louise]**  
i will. me too. thanks for talking with me while i freaked out earlier lol 

**[To: Dan]**  
Don’t worry about it, I’m glad I was able to keep you company. :) I’m going to bed so have a good night! xx 

**[To: Louise]**  
thanks louise, you too x 

\- - -

In general, vampires aren’t supposed to stay up past sunrise. It’s not like it would kill anyone -- sunlight isn’t deadly, but it’s not good, either. Dan had forced himself to stay awake past sunrise by dipping into the blood bags that were frozen at the back of their freezer, thawing them and drinking with a wince. It was the equivalent of a human drinking a pot of coffee on their own; the more actual blood that Dan had in his system, the more awake he was likely to be. And he wanted to be awake when Phil was so that they could talk about this. 

As it turned out, Phil woke up naturally around ten and shuffled out of his room, changed into pajama pants and Dan’s university hoodie. Dan was seated at the edge of the couch, his leg bouncing as he felt apprehension blossoming in his stomach like a weed. “Phil?” he prompted, trying to get his friend’s attention. 

Phil paused, wincing slightly as he turned to face Dan. In the light of day, Dan could see a dark bruise on Phil’s right eye, a shiner. There was crusted blood on his split lip and Phil was paler than usual. “Why are you still up?” Phil asked after nearly a minute of silence. 

“I was worried,” Dan answered. He shifted where he sat, turning his body so that he could face Phil. “What happened last night?” 

Phil looked away from Dan, his mouth set in a line like it had been when he’d come in last night. “I was jumped, all right? But I’m fine, I’m not seriously hurt or dead or anything.” 

“You were _jumped?”_ Dan repeated, incredulous. “How would they even know, pixies and fey are so similar to humans.” In the back of Dan’s mind, he realized how much it spoke about the treatment of magical creatures that he wasn’t outraged over Phil being jumped as much as he was confused about how they knew he had magic blood to begin with. 

“I don’t know, Dan!” Phil took a deep breath in, his nostrils flaring as he shut his eyes and calmed down, opening them again to look at Dan. “Sorry. I just - I want some coffee and to relax, that’s all. I’m really tired and my entire face hurts.” 

A compulsion stirred in Dan and he stood, directing Phil to sit on the couch and tossing him a blanket when he did. “I’ll make your coffee, just sit here.” Phil nodded, though Dan could see he was confused (Dan was confused by himself as well, honestly; he couldn’t explain where the compulsion had come from and determined it was just because Phil was his best friend and he was hurt). 

Dan returned with the coffee a few minutes later, knowing that Phil was a coffee plebeian and preferred the crappy instant stuff to brewed coffee, handing the mug to Phil before sitting down on the sofa next to him. He waited until Phil had taken a sip of the drink to ask, again, “What happened?” 

Phil sighed, studying the contents of his coffee cup. “I already said I got jumped. I dunno how they knew - I’m a YouTuber and we do radio one, though, so there are lots of options, it’s not like it’s a complete mystery.” He glanced up at Dan and gave him a tired smile before looking back down. “It was just some humans, that’s all. I got rid of them eventually, but I had to use magic, which is why I’m tired, probably.” 

“And because they beat the shit out of you,” Dan added. 

Phil rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Dan. That was a helpful contribution.” 

Dan grinned and then a thought hit him, his face growing serious. “This is because that law failed, isn’t it? Like, they’re going to start hunting us.” 

“I don’t know, Dan. I need to rest and you need to go to sleep. Staying up like this can’t be any good for you.” Phil frowned and drained his coffee mug, setting it down on the coffee table decisively. 

Dan pulled a face and Phil cracked a smile before he yawned. “Sleep is for the weak,” Dan replied. 

Phil laughed and leaned back against the arm of the couch, opening his arms. “Come on then. I’m tired, you’re tired. Might as well.” 

They hadn’t cuddled at all since Dan had been turned two years ago and Dan knew that it would be stupid of him to turn down an offer to cuddle, especially because Phil was the perfect temperature. Hearing a heartbeat would definitely help Dan fall asleep, too… “Okay,” Dan said, finally giving in and fighting back a smile. He had to pretend he didn’t want to sleep, keeping up the reputation and all. 

He laid down in Phil’s embrace, his head resting against Phil’s chest. Dan could feel his heartbeat through the sweatshirt Phil was wearing and he felt his eyes slipping closed despite himself, even as Phil shifted down a bit so he was lying down, Dan stretched out on top of him. “G’night,” Dan mumbled, feeling Phil reach up and tug a blanket around the both of them. 

“Night, Dan.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) please let me know what you thought! any comments or kudos or anything is appreciated, really :)  
> 2) come say hi on [tumblr!](http://bisexualdanhowell.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> 1) okay i hope that was good?? <3  
> 2) please leave me comments and critiques and stuff in the comments; kudos & bookmarks (if you liked it that much, haha) are also really appreciated! i love hearing from you guys!!  
> 3) come say hi on [tumblr!](http://bisexualdanhowell.tumblr.com)


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